Way back around 2002/2003 when Canon came out with the first FF DSLR, Nikon responded by saying they were not going to do FF.

They never did say that. They said they weren't going to do it until they were convinced that it offered the best price/performance, that was a consistent line they had for years, they never said 'never'.

Edit: In any case, Canon did not 'come out with the first FF DSLR'. That was Contax with the ND.

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Bob

Nikon may never have actually said 'never', but they certainly implied that in the begining.

No, Bob's right. The widespread impression that Nikon said they would never make a FF DSLR is purely the result of lots of people on the Internet not knowing anything about how companies use language. They misinterpreted Nikon's statements.

I followed this very closely at the time as a reporter in the camera industry. I'm quite sure of what Nikon said, and I also know -- and knew at the time -- what they meant. They have never contradicted themselves on this question.